Literature Review

End-of-life care for people who are incarcerated—ReplyJAMA; by Nicole Mushero, Brie Williams; 10/26We appreciate the response to our article by Ms Ofori-Darko and Dr McClelland and agree wholeheartedly that the definition of palliative care for incarcerated patients should be comprehensive and match the community standard. This standard includes all evidence-based interventions that palliate symptoms during serious, life-limiting illness. We also agree that short-course or single-fraction regimens of radiation therapy may be indicated for incarcerated patients with serious illness who may face additional barriers to longer-duration treatments. Other palliative treatments may also include some forms of chemotherapy, immunotherapy, antibiotics, blood transfusions, and diuresis. Some treatments may lose palliative effectiveness over time and thus be stopped as a person transitions to hospice care.

Virtual community palliative care as a population health strategy PALTmed | Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medical Association; by Kurt Merkelz, MD, FAAHPM; 11/5/26 Demand for palliative care is expected to rise as the population ages, with nearly three-quarters of palliative care professionals already reporting an increase in consult volumes since last year. Despite the increased demand, recent data from the Center to Advance Palliative Care shows access gaps remain, particularly in more rural settings. As providers adapt to meet patient needs, applying population health principles to virtual community palliative care can improve outcomes while helping patients remain safely at home or in their preferred living environment.

Thyme Care expands serious illness program, giving patients with advanced cancer a dedicated clinical home and fewer avoidable hospitalizations PR Newswire, Nashville, TN; Press Release; 11/5/26 Thyme Care, the nationally recognized oncology company, today announced it is scaling its Serious Illness program to meet growing demand among patients living with serious illness, ... Thyme Care's Serious Illness program closes that gap with continuous, specialist-informed support alongside a patient's oncology care, often reaching patients who might not otherwise receive palliative care until much later in their illness. 

National Hospice and Palliative Care Month: Air ambulance specialist offers perspective on end-of-life transportation support Cision PRWeb, Albuquerque, NM; Press Release by AirCare1; 11/1/26 ... Air transport allows a medically stable hospice patient to travel long distances to be near family, either at home or in a facility closer to loved ones. ... Patient wishes sometimes include a change of place. A medical flight for a hospice patient can transport them from a hospital to their home in another state, avoiding the strain of a long drive or a commercial flight. Departure happens only once the patient is stable, so the trip becomes a planned step in care. Families weighing an air ambulance for end-of-life transport should make an informed decision before choosing a provider. The type of air transport matters. Jets handle long-range trips, while helicopters suit shorter distances, so they must weigh up the type of transport. An air ambulance should also carry the equipment needed to act as an intensive care unit in flight, helping patients receive appropriate care while in transport.

How Medicare Advantage and traditional Medicare influence palliative and hospice care implementation: a conversation with Xin Hu, PhD The ASCO Post; by Jo Cavallo; 10/29/26 In 2024, ASCO updated its guideline for the integration of palliative care in oncology, ... However, despite ASCO’s recommendations, utilization of palliative care in the oncology setting remains low, with about one-third of patients globally receiving this service, with the highest utilization rate of nearly 56% in Africa and the lowest, 30%, in the United States. The results from two studies by Xin Hu, PhD, MSPH, and her colleagues evaluating the use of early palliative care among traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage beneficiaries with advanced cancers find that systemic and structural barriers in the health-care system are contributing to the underuse of palliative care among these patients.

Admission surprise question response and its association with advance care planning documentation and palliative care consultation: A multisite propensity-matched cohort studyJournal of Palliative Medicine; by Ankita Agarwal, Kolby Johnson, Benjamin Verplanke, Lauren Messing, Heather Menzer, Veerawat Phongtankuel, Jesse Burk-Rafel; 9/26The Surprise Question (SQ) asks providers, "Would you be surprised if this patient died in the next year?". It is a tool that was developed to help providers identify patients who would benefit from palliative care (PC) interventions. [In this study] patients with an SQ response of "No" on [hospital] admission had higher odds of having ACP [advance care planning] documentation or PC [palliative care] consultation ...  compared to those with a response of "Yes." In addition, patients with a "No" response had ACP documentation or PC consultation an average of 2.7 days earlier than those with a "Yes" response ...

[Canada] Medical assistance in dying in patients with destination-therapy left ventricular assist devicesJACC Case Reports; by Jacqueline Carverhill, Michele Bertelli, Omid Kiamanesh; 9/26Case summary: Two male patients with destination-therapy LVADs [left ventricular assist devices] received clinician-administered MAiD [medical assistance in dying]. One had refractory transfusion-dependent gastrointestinal bleeding and died in a community hospice; the other had refractory pain, anxiety, and existential suffering and died on an acute care ward. In both cases, intravenous medications were administered while the LVAD remained active, and the device was deactivated after unconsciousness and apnea were confirmed. These cases describe a practical approach to coordinating MAiD with LVAD deactivation in hospital and hospice settings. The process required advance agreement among the LVAD team, MAiD provider, and palliative care team regarding medication sequencing, responsibility for device deactivation, and anticipated alarms.

BHS partners with local libraries to explore personal choices and palliative care iBerkshires.com, Great Barrington, MA; 10/28/26 Berkshire Health Systems (BHS) will partner with local libraries to launch a community conversation on palliative care, centered on book discussions of Being Mortal by Atul Gawande. Written by a practicing surgeon, the bestseller bridges clinical care and lived experience, making it accessible to readers with no medical background, while resonating with the palliative care team leading the conversations. This community-based reading event is being offered as part of BHS's new Palliative Care program, a pilot initiative designed to expand this care across the Berkshires through widespread provider education, community awareness, and clinical expertise.

Translating evidence into practice: implementing caregiver burden assessments in palliative care clinic American Journal of Hospice & Palliative Care; by Nasreen Bagwan Malik, Sherief Ghozy, Kitty Fan, Cheryl Green, Denise Mohess; 10/13/26 Background: Caregiver burden assessments lack clinical uniformity in palliative care. Existing evidence-based interventions often impose resource demands that are prohibitive for smaller programs. Objectives: (1) Demonstrate the practical utility of routine caregiver screening paired with an interdisciplinary team (IDT) response protocol. (2) Identify patient and caregiver factors influencing burden. Conclusion: This workflow provides a replicable roadmap to transition caregivers from “invisible patients” to actively supported extensions of the care unit, reinforcing dyadic assessments as standard practice in outpatient palliative medicine.

Free webinar for physicians and healthcare professionals: Reducing hospital readmissions and reducing Hospital Readmissions and Length of stay in advanced illness patients VITAS Healthcare; Press Release; 9/14/26

ChristianaCare palliative care founder blasts outsourcingDelawareOnline; by Sophia Voight; 10/23/26 ChristianaCare is discontinuing its in-house palliative care services, choosing to outsource the services to its hospice partner AccentCare. "We want to be clear that ChristianaCare is not stepping away from palliative care," ChristianaCare’s Chief Physician Executive Kert Anzilotti said in a statement to Delaware Online/The News Journal. "The delivery model is changing, but palliative care will continue to be an important part of our approach to high-quality, patient-centered care." But the retired physician who founded ChristianaCare’s palliative care services warns that outsourcing them could hurt patients and diminish the quality of care.

Current challenges and future innovation in rural heart failure care: A qualitative analysisJournal of Cardiovascular Nursing; by Alexander A. Walkon, Shoshana H. Bardach, Aricca D. Van Citters, Tamar Mosulishvili, Samuel L. Youkilis, Amanda N. Perry, Megan M. Holthoff, Olawale O. Akinola, Amelia M. Cullinan, Melissa Borrows, Katharine A. Manning; 9/26Individuals living with heart failure experience challenges managing frequent hospital admissions and life-altering symptoms, including dyspnea, fatigue, and depression. These challenges are exacerbated by the unique obstacles associated with receiving healthcare in a rural community. Their care partners often do not receive sufficient support to care for someone with heart failure and experience fatigue, social isolation, and anxiety. Interviewees reported challenges related to symptom and care partner burden, fragmented healthcare communication, limited institutional support, and an unclear role for palliative care. Interviewees suggested that integrating personalized care strategies, improving communication and coordination, and expanding specialized support may help address these challenges.